Dr. J.D.

BASKARA DOSS
Curriculum Director NILT

SIXDHARSHANASANDCHRISTIANITY

SixSystems Unlike the Western philosophy, Indian Philosophy does not deviate much form Indian religion. Sankya,Yoga,Nyaya,Vaisesika,MimasaSutrasandBrahmeSutrasarethesixsystemsofphilosophy. Dharshana is a Sanskrit term derived from Dhrish to see. The equivalent term in Tamil is Kaatchi.TheoccurrenceofthewordKaatchiisplentifulisSangamliterature.

DravidianDharasanas
In Sarva Dharshana Samgraha. Madhava enumerates Sixteen Indian systems of Dharshanas. But nowonlysixsystemsareheldasDharshanas.Itisnormallyheldthatthesesystemshadoriginatedfrom VedasandhencethenameVedicDharshanas.ThetraditionalclassificationoftheIndianDharshanasruns asfollows:

DHARSHANAS
Hetrodox (Avaitika) Orthodox (Vaitika) 1.Sankhya 2.Yoga 3.Nyaya 4.Vaiseshika 5.PurvaMimamsa 6.UttaraMimamsa.

1.CharuvakaLokayata 2.Buddhism 3.Jainism

2008 NILT INDIA

Dr. J.D. BASKARA DOSS

Curriculum Director NILT ThefourVedashadnotgivenbirthtoallthesixdharshanas.TheUpanishadsalonehadgivenriseto thedevelopmentoffivedharshanasbarringPruvaMimamsa.Sankhya,Yoga,Nyaya,VaiseshikaandUttara MimamsaarethefivegreatworksoftheDravidianseersandtheyhavetoberightlytermedasDravidian DharshanasandnotasVedicDharshanas.Aglanceatthefollowingtableshallshowabirdseyeviewofthe sixsystemsofphilosophy. SystemofPhilosophy Samkhya Yoga Nyaya Vaisesika Brahmasutras Mimamsasutras Author Kapila Patanjali Gautama Ganata Vyasa Jaimini Race Dravidian Dravidian Dravidian Dravidian Dravidian NonDravidian ClassifiedGroup NonVedic NonVedic NonVedic NonVedic NonVedic Vedic

VedicDharshana
ThemythicalsaintJaiminiissupposedtobetheexponentofPurvaMimamsa(MimamsaSustras). TheothernamebywhichthissystemisknownastheKarmaKandaanditglorifiesBrahmicalsupremacy and attempts to establish a caste based stratified society. Philosopheres like H.T. Colebrook and S.N. DasguptaopinethatPurvaMimamsacouldnotbeconsideredasasystemofPhilosophy.PurvaMimamsa isaBrahminicalsystemandtherestaretheDravidianPhilosophicaltreatises.

VedasandVedanta
The four Vedas of the Aryans which were in the form of vocal renderings were complied by the DravidiansaintVyasaafter2ndC.ADashewantedtopropagateanewthemeofphilosophybasedonthe avatardoctrineandthefulfillmentofsacrificialworship.HencethenameVedaVyasa.ItwasVedaVyasa who had also complied the Upanishads in addition to his authorship of Brahma Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharataetc.AllhiscelebratedworkshavebeenclassifiedunderVedantaSystem. 2008 NILT INDIA

Dr. J.D. BASKARA DOSS

Curriculum Director NILT Vendanta,infact,doesnotmeanthattheyaretheendoftheVedasbutitisanewsystemofreligio philosophywhichhadputanendtotheVedicdoctrines.TheVedasstandonthefoundationofsacrificial worship whereas Vedanta stands on the edifice of the fulfillment of sacrifice, trinitarian dogma, the investigation into the soul, its bondage, release, mukti and eternal life. Therefore, the Vedic philosophy andtheVedanticPhilosophyhavetobetreatedasseparateentities. Distortionsincommentaries: Twisted,distortedandmutilatedcommentarieshavebeenrenderedfortheDravidiansystemsof philosophies. Commentaries which were written prior to Sankara are not available. The voluminous commentariesforthePrathanaThrayahadbeenwrittenbytheBrahmincommentators.Wecannotset asidethefactthatawellplanedplothadbeenhatchedsothattheoriginalideologyofVedangawerenot disclosed. Sankara had taken the lead in this line. The fact remains that the original texts of the five Dharshanas had been tampered with and interpolated by means of the scholastic acumen of the commentators.

TheRiddlesofIndianPhilosophy
IthasbeenmuchdebatedbytheIndiansystemsofphilosophythatthesoulwasinherentlyunder bondage right from the atheistic system like Jainism till the theistic system of philosophy of Saiva Siddhantathebondageofsoulhadbeentreatedasthebasicproblembutnosystemhadattemptedwhy andhowthesoulwascaptivated.ButthisriddlehasbeensolvedbyacomparativestudyoftheBibleand Koran. Brahma Mimamsa plays the pivotal role among the Dravidian systems of philosophy that it deals withtheChristiandoctrinalaspects,inthebackgroundofIndianCulturalheritage.

2008 NILT INDIA